Margaret Peak Nature Preserve

I recently Located a new Place here locally several weeks back called Margaret Peak Nature Preserve, I have really come to enjoy photographing Wildlife here as the setting is amazing.
The standouts this year have been the Dickcissels, It has been what I would refer to as an Irruption year.  Which is An irregular movement involving large numbers of birds which takes them into areas where they are not found every year in such numbers.

I will share here a few Images taken of  the Dickcissels at Margaret Peak preserve: Here are a few pictures of the Male

This is  the female returning to the nest with nesting material, It seems this was a pair and they built a nest. the female is currently tending young and has been actively feeding them

Other than the birds, the area provides a real picturesque habitat in which to photograph and the area is setup well to take advantage of morning and afternoon light.

Other birds I have seen and photographed here have been the Elusive Marsh Wren, These birds are very difficult to get out of the marsh areas, By utilizing a Call, I was able to draw this bird out of the Cattails and capture these photographs.

 There are also Many Cedar Waxwings on the property in Particular along the back ponds along the western edge, thee birds are often typically higher in the trees, here they can be photographed at eye and ground level.

 

There are also many other species here as well Orchard Orioles, Horned Larks, Indigo Buntings, Song,Field,Grasshopper,Savannah Sparrows, Goldfinches, Tree,Bran and Rough Winged Swallows, Red Winged Blackbirds are many. On the pongs you will see Great Blue Herons,GreenHerons, Pied Billed Grebes, Killdeer, and Spotted Sandpiper are seen as well with frequency. As well as Deer and other mammals.


I will share a dew additional species seen here as well.

A song Sparrow perched on Bull thistle singing his heart out

 A young Whitetail Buck in early morning light

A Female Orchard Oriole in a wild berry stand " Larger Crop"

The next time your looking for somewhere different and easy to navigate check out Margaret Peak Nature preserve, located in Lorain County Ohio in Eaton Township.  who Knows I may see you there.

Fall in the Great Smokey Mountains

Bonnie and I Packed up the gear and truck and headed down to the Great Smokey Mountains for a Week of Photography.
We joined fellow Midwest Photographers Mark Perry, Eric Silvi, Jeffrey Braemer, Kirby Flannagan and others while there and shot several areas of the Park from Wildlife, Cabins, Waterfalls, Sunsets and Sunrises all expressed by the Magnificant Fall colors this area has to offer. A great time was had by all and we were able to come away with some great photographs.

Our first Morning we visited Newfound Gap and was greated by this beautiful sunrise coming up over the Mountains

 As the sun got higher in the sky it started to bring out the colors in the valley and across the Mountain Range

In coming days we visited several areas within the park, and were rewarded with several beautiful landscapes These Images are from Cades Cove area

 Some Wildlife that we seen while in the Park, These also were captured in Cades Cove First a Young Black Bear calling down to Mom

Mom Called this Lil cub down from above to join her with the others

 All Together with Mom in the Crotch of the tree

We also Visited a few of the many Log Cabins in the area, These were used by settlers that Lived in this area years ago, many of which have been restored.

And finally the view from Klingmans Dome which took in the Mountain ranges as well as a Beautiful sunset

and a Throw in Bonnie sharing a moment with one of the Horses from the Bridal stables along Cades Cove.

All in all it was  a great time, The Colors were beautiful and the scenery breathtaking, certainly A place I will visit again when time permits.

Migrating Hummingbirds

 The Hummingbirds that were frequenting the yard here have since left per my last Blog, But We have continued to enjoy several Migrants as they make there way from up North to Greener pastures Southward where they will enjoy there winter months in Mexico along the Gulf and into Nicaragua.

Photographing these Birds can be challenging as well as fun.  When photographing these birds I use a setup.

The setup consists of 1 or 2  8" or so Flower Pots " Used as our Draw" bought from a nursery positioned at chair level, the first closest to me setup at  Minumum focusing distance, this case 11 feet.  And the 2nd flower Pot out past the first but inline with my lens, say 7-12 feet back. This is done so  the back or secondary flower pot carries the flower theme  into the  Background of the photograph " Known as "BG". , The far off BG was natural field grasses which gives a softness feel with the sun hitting them.

Next to the first pot closest to me at Minimum focusing distance I setup on a shepherds hook a standard hummingbird feeder filled with 2 Tablespoons of sugar per 1 cup of water which they have been coming to all summer,  I positioned it 2 feet parallel to the closest flower pot.

In the flowers which are "Anise Hyssup Alcapulco's" A dainty flower which naturally attracts hummingbirds I used a Syringe or eye dropper can also be used and filled the cups of the flowers with the sugar water placing droplets into the shafts of the flower to act as natural nectar basins.

I gradually plugged off the feeders 4 feed openings with tape or a stick except for one and acclimated the birds to utilize the flower instead of the feeder for a natural presentation.

Camera settings were at Iso 800| F5.6| Shutter of 1/2500th- 4000th| Manual Operation| 1D Mark 4 Body| 600 F/4 Lens| Fill flash at - 3


Some Results of the Migrant Hummingbirds from 9-20-2010

For those of you feeding the Hummingbirds, Mid August to Late October is one of the most Important time periods to maintain the feeders as these Birds fatten up and thrive on the sugar water for energy in making the long trip south. 


Hope you enjoyed and can use this technique in your own backyards to capture photographs. the Birds will get very used to you and often will feed from your hand, as they really are very friendly...


Dan

Backyard Hummingbirds

 I focused on Hummingbirds  as well this fall, Primarily birds in flight under natural light conditions, I am fortunate to have several that visit the yard here.

In this area we only have Ruby Red Throats and the male typically establishes a territory and defends that territory against intruder birds. He will allow females of his choice and any offspring from there clutches.

Intruder males and females he will run off until he himself is overthrown by a more dominant male bird.

Much of his time is spent, defending and standing guard on his territory. Here is the male on Guard of his territory.

Point Mouillee Michigan - Shorebirds

This past weekend I Packed up the gear and headed up to what is known as the Banana @ Pnt. Mouillee, Mich. Joining me this day was Matthew Studebaker and meeting us there later in the day was Greg Schneider both fellow photographers.

The area we focused on own was cell 3 particularly the NorthEast end. This is an area comprised of very shallow water most of which is only inches deep to a mere foot in depth. Its vastly a large mud flat, Located on the Westernmost end of Lake Erie.

 We parked in what is known as the South parking lot off Roberts rd. from here its about a 3 mile trek to the area where we were going to photograph. No vehicles are allowed past this parking lot so its accessed via walking or Bike. We chose Bikes. Using Backpacks we packed our gear ( Cameras, Tripods,Lenses, and Waders)  back to cell Three.

Upon arriving we were greated by a beautiful sunrise spilling golden light onto the flats. Matt noticed Buff Breasted, and Bairds Sandpipers along the northern shoreline and for the first hour we focused on these, they provided us with many great looks. 

Bairds Sandpiper

Buff Breasted Sandpiper

From there we put on our waders and headed out to the mud flat, easing our way  slowly to where the birds were foraging in the shallow water.

Here we seen and were able to photograph, Lessor Yellowlegs Red Necked Phalaropes, Wilsons Phalaropes, White Rumped Sandpipers, SemiPalmated Sandpipers, SemiPalmated Plovers, Black Bellied Plovers, Killideer, Stilt Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Short-Billed Dowitchers, Greater Yellowlegs and others.

Below is a photo sampling of the day. All in all a Great day, We walked away thinking this was one of the best shorebird experiences we have ever had and are sure to be returning in the future.

Myself on the Mud flat (Photograph taken by Matthew Studebaker)

Stilt Sandpipers

Pectoral Sandpiper

Wilsons Phalarope